While on Vacation, a Family Confronts Itself

Lupita Nyong'o in "Us"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Two years ago, writer-director Jordan Peele exploded onto the horror scene with his filmmaking debut, “Get Out.”  It served up chills and social commentary in equal doses, becoming a breakout hit and one of the best movies of 2017.  Afterwards, Peele became a thrilling and innovative voice in the genre, and I was eager to see what other ideas he had on his mind for new projects.

The time has come to see his latest contribution to horror, which is “Us.”  Through this film, we see that Peele continues to his imaginativeness as a filmmaker, and just like with “Get Out,” he brings, chills, laughs, and something to say.

Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o), her husband, Gabriel (Winston Duke), and their children, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex) decide to spend some time at a beach house.  One night, their getaway turns into something deadly when their home is invaded by another family, and the Wilsons discover that this family looks just like them.

We’re just a quarter of the way into 2019, but Nyong’o delivers what I’m sure will go down as one of the most unforgettable performances of the year as both Adelaide and her doppelgänger.  While portraying Adelaide, Nyong’o presents her character with an air of mystery, someone who has suffered something traumatic as a child, and we see how it has impacted her character for years.  As the film goes on, we watch her transform into a horror-movie heroine for whom to clap and cheer as she fights back in satisfying nature, showing a ferociousness and unwillingness to back down, despite coming face to face with an inconceivable nightmare.  When portraying her double, Nyong’o employs a deep, unsettling voice that puts you on edge, as well as a persona that’s disquieting to the point where you’ll want to put as much distance as possible between yourself and her.  It’s a remarkable feat of acting as you watch these two alike characters square off in a match between good and evil, resulting in a performance that exemplifies the superb range within Nyong’o’s acting abilities.

Duke, Joseph, and Alex not only deliver fine performances as Adelaide’s family, but also as their doppelgängers, where, just like Nyong’o, their unnerving facial expressions and creepy movements make you tense up.  Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker also have memorable roles as friends of the Wilson family.

Although Peele’s screenplay can become a tad heavy-handed at times, it’s loaded with both big ideas and small details that not only make this film terrific viewing, but something that you might wish to see a second time in order to absorb everything.  It’s these aspects of the narrative that have you always looking for things that could provide scenes with more significant meanings.  This is the type of story that will have you thinking about it for hours after you see it, trying to piece every detail together and come up with theories to your questions; and, trust me, you’ll have several.  Peele imbues the film with both social and biblical thoughts, and there’s boundless fascination into how he manages to bring forth these concepts in the scenario at hand.  Between “Get Out” and “Us,” Peele proves to be a master at constructing unpredictable stories, bringing us along on twisty, layered journeys as each startling discovery takes us on the next path to whatever reveal Peele has in store for us next.

Peele’s direction shows his prowess for adding amped-up intensity during the violent confrontations in certain scenes without it becoming gratuitous, just like he did within the last 15 minutes of “Get Out.”  However, Peele still uses the effective, scaled-back approach he utilized for most of that film, such as in the opening scene, where he employs an atmosphere that draws us into the world of the movie with commendable precision, and you realize that you’re about to watch a horror movie that’s different from what you’ve seen before.

With the help of cinematography by Mike Gioulakis, Peele conjures up some chilling imagery, such as in the sequence where the Wilsons first meet their doppelgängers.  Having the intruders concealed in darkness is a simple move, but when it’s mixed with a sinister score by Michael Abels (who collaborated with Peele on “Get Out”), it makes for a bone-rattling introduction to the terror that’s about to be unleashed.

Peele’s choice of camerawork, editing, and music make a superb blend of unconventionality that tends to be rare in mainstream horror films, showing that it’s possible to be artistic in horror films that come from the bigger studios.  With his first two directorial efforts being horror movies that both scare and offer probing looks into modern society, Peele has become a filmmaker that can make us feel major anticipation for whatever he might have in mind for his next movie.

It’s fitting that Peele’s second film is about doubles because with “Get Out” and “Us,” he’s achieved double cinematic successes.

Grade: A-